The Webster County Courthouse is a historic building in

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

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. Built in 1902, it primarily houses local government offices for Webster County. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It was individually listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1981, and as a contributing property in the Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District in 2010.

History

After the county was organized in 1852, the community of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

was designated the county seat. At the time it was the largest town in the region. Fort Dodge almost immediately sought to have the county seat moved there, and an election to decide the issue was held on April 7, 1856, with Fort Dodge coming out victorious. Construction began in 1859 on an elaborate courthouse, but the cupola could not be built as designed, the specified stone could not be acquired, and the building's plans were constantly being changed. The original contractors abandoned the project after only the first floor was completed, and the timeframe for completion was pushed back two years. A rather plain two-story structure that measured was completed in 1861. Over the years the building was expanded, and a clock tower was added to the structure. Space was allocated for Federal court offices. On November 7, 1899, voters approved the construction of a new courthouse. A larger plot of land was sought for the new building until it was learned that the property the old courthouse stood on would revert to its previous owner. Accordingly, the old building was destroyed and a new four-story courthouse built on the same site. This stone building represented a significant expansion of its predecessor. The courthouse was not completed until 1902, at which point approximately $100,000 had been expended in constructing the building. It was designed by

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

architect

Henry C. Koch Henry C. Koch (March 30, 1841 – May 19, 1910) was a German-American architect based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Biography Born in Hanover in the Kingdom of Hanover, Koch immigrated as a toddler with his family to the United States. His architect ...

, and built by Northern Building Company. By 1980, the courthouse required extensive renovations, including a new roof, exterior repairs, restorations to the clock tower, and a refurbished interior; the entire process took several million dollars and over twenty years to complete.

Present status

Today, the courthouse is the site of much local and regional government business, including the office of the county assessor, the meeting area for the Webster County Board of Health, service offices for the

hearing impaired Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken la ...

, and offices for the state courts of the Second Judicial District. The significance of the courthouse is derived from its association with county government, and the political power and prestige of Fort Dodge as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. In 2021, construction was completed on a restoration of the courthouse roof and iconic clock tower.

Architecture

The courthouse is a four-story stone structure. The main facade has four stone Ionic columns that rise from the second to the third floor. Three recessed openings on the first floor serve as the main entrance. Above a mansard roof is a green-colored clock tower. A projecting cornice divides the third and fourth floors. Unlike

's other Beaux Arts courthouses, the long axis of the building is perpendicular to the main facade. The interior features a rectangular

light court In architecture, a lightwell,light well, light-well sky-well,skywell, sky well or air shaft is an unroofed or roofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or ...

that is covered with a white glass barrel-vaulted skylight. A marble staircase with brass balustrade and handrails is located in the light court. The perimeter of the court is set off by column screens with columns in the

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

and Ionic orders. The space is decorated with Adamesque details.

References

{{NRHP in Webster County, Iowa Government buildings completed in 1902 Beaux-Arts architecture in Iowa Neoclassical architecture in Iowa County courthouses in Iowa Buildings and structures in Webster County, Iowa Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Clock towers in Iowa Fort Dodge, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Webster County, Iowa Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa

History

Present status

Architecture

See also

References